Getting real

Sophomores from Frankfort, Franklin County and Western Hills high schools got a dose of reality Tuesday when it comes to money, grades and responsibility.

One irrefutable fact they encountered was that money talks both in real life and at the fifth annual Reality Store sponsored by the Frankfort Area Chamber of Commerce at Kentucky State University.

"You know how life goes," C. Michael Davenport told Franklin County students over a microphone, "it has its ups and downs."

Reality Store volunteers did their best to challenge each student in some way. Pretend salaries, job titles and anywhere from one to three children were assigned to each student. The salaries and job descriptions were assigned according to the student's grade point average, so Amanda Goldsmith, who said she has a 3.81 GPA. at Franklin County High School, was told she was a sales manager who makes a salary of $3,062.50 a month. Not bad, but she was also assigned three children age 6 and under.

"Study hard and don't have kids until you're ready because life's tough if you don't have an education," advised Darrell Gilliam, a member of the chamber's workforce development committee and executive director of the Capital Community Economic Industrial Development Authority.